If Christian Bale is slated to return as Batman in Man of Steel 2 (aka Superman vs. Batman), then the folks at Warner Bros. are keeping that information a secret.

The rumor mill was in high gear last week when reports surfaced that The Dark Knight Rises star would reprise his role as the Caped Crusader in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel sequel. Although studios and actors are usually quick to squash these reports, Bale and Warner have been oddly quiet.

All of this speculation began with author Vincent Russel’s Beyond Batman: The Unauthorized True Story of Christian Bale and His Dark Knight Dilemma. The 27-page eBook alleged that Christian Bale was being seriously courted for the iconic role of Batman once again.

The folks at Entertainment Weekly pointed out that the original conversation was in regards to the proposed Justice League movie Warner Bros. was cooking up. Russel claims to have spoken with someone from Legendary Pictures who said that Bale could easily make upwards of $50 million if he appeared in the movie for even 20 minutes.

“And as anyone who has ever worked with Bale will admit, the actor is incredibly sharp, business savvy, and perceptive. As a result, it seems highly unlikely that Christian Bale will bolt from Batman when the bat signal is still glimmering above the Hollywood sign with such tangible fervor,” Russel wrote.

While everyone expected representatives from Warner Bros. or Christian Bale to quickly deny these reports, both camps have been strangely silent. Does this mean that the studio and the actor are discussing the idea? Did all of this speculation bring the parties back to the table? Anything’s possible at the moment.

Until word is handed down by someone officially associated with the project, it’s probably best to take all of this information with a very large pinch of salt. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t cross your fingers that the Batman Begins star will put on the cape and cowl one more time.

Do you think Christian Bale should return as Batman in Man of Steel 2? How do you feel about all of the rumors and reports that have surfaced over the past week?